She told the court that things came to head on the night of January 6, when she argued with her mum in front a friend. Rebecca agreed to go and stay at the friends house, but returned to her mums in Guildford Road later to pick up some clothes.

Clancy Durkin

She said her mum said “nasty, evil thing"s.

She said: “She just went mad. She said you ‘ungrateful cow’. She shoved me over. I shoved her back. I’m sure she wanted to kill me. It was a muddled fight. I was down again because she had a pillow over my face. I shoved her off me.

"She’s done it loads of times before. She tried it when I was 10 years old, to suffocate me. I knocked her out of the way and bit her.

“I was trying to kick but I couldn’t. I tried to use all my strength, then she got me back. I thought she’s not giving up here. It was horrible. I got her and grabbed her neck. She was still carrying on trying to attack me. I just got hold of her neck and didn’t let go. I knew if she had killed me that night she would have killed herself.

"She wanted us both dead because she hated her own life and knew I hated mine. She stopped attacking me. I wasn’t even looking. She was dead. Its like she went dead quick. I remember thinking how did I kill her? I ran out of the room. The I went back to check her. She wasn’t moving. I felt sick.”

Durkin said she did not call the emergency services because she in shock but that night confessed to her friend: “I’ve killed my mum. I swear down I’ve done it.”

The Editor

Andrew Brown

Andrew Brown is the editor of the Southport Visiter, Midweek Visiter, Formby Times, Ormskirk Advertiser, Skelmersdale Advertiser, and the Crosby Herald. Andrew was born and bred in Southport - a true Sandgrounder. Andrew was one of the founders of Southport's Charity Fun Fest.